The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-29
THE INEQUALITY OF OUR GRIM
NAL LAWS.

complete reVoiutioh VI "''
and business methods, with the In
creased variety in grades OF crime
which these changes have naturally
brought about-renders u revision oi
her criminal laws an absolute neces-
sity. The inequality OF the laws ior
tho punishment Of CRU" Is not as
some suppose, mythical, or overdr"wn
rough the profess of cc' tain classes
VINO persistently evade or vie'ate the
/ Avs. and to whom all laws are OBJ
oyious, but the evil is so real and 80
palpable to every close observer ne to
be a subject of general remark.
An evidently well-inforSued cores
pondent of the Marlin Ball, treating
of this subject, after urging the insult
ficiency OF the penalties attached to
certain of the higher grades of crime,
such as highway robbery, in the
commission of which the criminal goes
armed with deadly weapons, to murder
or not murder his victim, as best
suits his schemes of rlundcr, ard
claiming that such should be punished
az murderers, turns TO the other eX-
treme and says:
The punishments fixed for many OF
the small grade of felOnies are to
severe and out of all reason. In fact,
they are as cruel as the Code OF
Draco. The effect of our present sys-
tenn of criminal laws is our penitei,ti-
aries are filed to overlooking. The
superintendent, GOree. recommended
to the governor to reduce the number
of ielons; both Cows. Ireland and
Ross brought the attention OF the
legislature to the necessity OF reduc-
ing the number of lelOnies that the
penitentiaries be relieved. So tar as
my memory serves me, the legislators
took nc action in the premises.
Not only is this true, but under ex
isting laws men whose greatest fault
in many instances is misforIune--who
from sickness. lack of employment,
disappointment or unto, seen disaster
have become penpHess, aud for the
time being unable to help themselves
are arrested aud worked in chain
gangs side by side with house break
ers aud worst class of criminals and
subject to hardships aud cruelties Ca
pable of extinguishing oil hope, bar
ishing all feeling of pride and perma-
nently traustor ming them to the level
of the brute.
Equal aud exact justice under the
law is urgently demanded, aud to this
end there should be a thorough re
vision of cur criminal code.
The correspondent above qu ted
exp esses an opinion which most PEG
pc will endorse in following:
If tle rope could be used more fire.
uent'y for the Highway robber, who
ways gets the drop on the good
lran, lei more of the petty thef's be
punished by fine, to be raid In the
counties of convictions adjust the
Laws 50 the 6ue or its equivalent in
W k will be certainly rea'ized by the
counties. There would moi be an an-
nual necessity for the legislature to
$5OO,000 for officers fe
in felony cases.
That is good so iaras it goes, but APP
plies more especially to the offensc
which fill the penitentaries unncces-
sarily. Coming down to a still lowe
or lighter grade of otfeDses, the HER
AID believes That justice too often
misses It's mark, due, sometimes, to
hsrd-hesrtedness of the magistrate or
zeal rather than judgement Of
peace officers, aud oft to ordinances
and strained construction of statute
rvs prohibiting vagrancy, aud other
Y off" ises. Most of our street
aug and the poorhouse gang Is large
v made up OF convictions under this
head aud the HERALD believes II is
safe to estimate that one-third or one
half of them are made up of unfortu
nate men aud youths who have been
to come to Texes by our ad-
for Drawn aud muscle,
md who, coming dependent solely
upon their labor Tor means of support,
nave been guilty of having TO sleep
n cotton shed, some vacant house or
barn, before securing work, and sent
N the moor farm or street gang to